Hi everyone! Today I just wanted to say "Merry Christmas" to all of my readers! Today is Christmas. Time for family, hugs, great food, playing flag football, etc, so please, have a terrific day, smile at everyone, and let your little light shine! Pray for those in your midst that you know are alone. You may want to wait to call them till after the New Year, but always pray for the lost out there, who've yet to find their way to the true meaning of Christmas. His name is Jesus and if He loves them, I think we can do the same. Pray for the brokenhearted when you open your gifts today and thank God for all that you have, all the blessings in your life that we all take for granted and for His grace and mercy and what He's going to do for those less fortunate than ourselves. Do something! It'll knock your socks off how much grace you receive from God when you stick up for Jesus! I truly hope you all have a blessed Christmas! God Bless you all!
Merry Christmas Eve, everyone! Thank you all for reading the blog. I hope you've been enjoying the posts since my writers block has lifted a bit now. I pray that today, if your lost, alone, out of sorts with no place to go, that you reach out for help. There are plenty of sites on the web that would help. Call and talk to someone if you're depressed and feel like jumping, please? I've been there more than a few times, but I've learned Paul's lesson about living in plenty or in want and how he had become content, no matter what his circumstances, even though I am being mistreated by my husband and my kids. I still pray for all 5 of them everyday, and I've started a war room to start to get my family back! Enjoy the video! I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I always do. Merry Christmas Eve!
Where I live, in California, you'd think all the grinch's would live here, but in our little town, nestled in between San Francisco and Sacramento, we love the military, our President and we sure do love Christmas! We Have a tree lighting ceremony every year, the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, and this year they outdid themselves! The tree is one of the tallest I've ever seen and we've lived her 25 years as of Dec 15th! On top of that, we have two streets "Candy Cane Lane," and "Lollipop Lane" where every house is decorated with a TON of lights! We enjoy going and watching all the different lights they put up every year and we're never disappointed, so I thought I would share some of the best Christmas light video's I could find on YouTube, with all of you, and I was not disappointed! (Psst....I especially like the last video!) Warning: Brite lights! You might want to wear your sunglasses!
We start the light show off with something really unique from "The Piano Guys."
Here's a video I know Rock and Rollers will enjoy!
Check this one out! Set to the
song "Let it Go," from "Frozen! Fantastic!
Love some of the music these folks use
for their Christmas Light Displays. Again Rock and Rollers will most definitely approve!
I found this one and my heart strings went "schwing!" I love this one most of all because it's Patriotic, and well, because one of my Favorite President's is featured in the display! I'd like to dedicate the Christmas Light video below to our troops who just came home from Syria and to all of our troops all over the world! Merry Christmas Everyone & God Bless!
I know how busy everyone is right now, trying to buy gifts for family members so close to Christmas, so I decided to do a "Friday Funnies - Christmas Edition!"
As you finish your last minute shopping and trips to the grocery store, be safe out there and don't forget to be thoughtful of others, and when an employee in a certain store says "Happy Holidays," remember they were trained to say nothing else, so respond with a "God bless you, and a "Merry Christmas," and try to say their name if you can read their name tag! Then go home, write a prayer for that person and put it on your prayer room wall. In Matthew 6:6 Jesus said, "Go into your inner room to pray." On a personal note: God doesn't want you to "boycot" a store simply because the ownership doesn't want their employee's saying "Merry Christmas!" They're just following store policy, trying to keep their jobs, but it does give YOU an opportunity to bring them a blessing instead of a curse! And if anyone gives you any guff, just remember what Jesus said: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me." (Matthew 5:11).
Hope you enjoy the video's this week! Be safe as you get the rest of your shopping done and please, share the love of Jesus? I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy!
Here's Tim Hawkins' tribute to Christmas!
Here's Michael Jr., talking about what it
must've been like to be a younger sibling
of Jesus! This one had me rollin' on the floor!
Do you like funny Church Marqi's? Check this video out! It's the "Christmas Version!"
Since parking is associated with Christmas, I couldn't pass this video up! Listen as Chondra Pierce let's us know what kind of parking women, REALLY want!
Today, we finish with a group of kids listening intently to Mark Lowry as he tells the story of "Piper's Night Before Christmas!" Just too sweet!
I hope you enjoyed these video's. I search far and wide to bring you the funniest shorts I can find, and today I definitely hit the jackpot!
Merry Christmas everyone, and God Bless You with a very Happy New Year!
Get ready! Make some hot chocolate with whip cream or marshmallows and then play these for the whole family! This is for all of you Christian music fans out there! I've put a few together and I think you'll really enjoy them! There's just nothing like Christmas music to warm your heart and help you realize that even when we think we're out of God's reach, we aren't. He's always there with us, no matter what we're going through, so it's time to Celebrate His birthday!
I hope you enjoy the video's I've chosen for you. (Hint: This video was done in 1989, live in DC). Enjoy!
No Christmas Season would be
complete without Charlie Brown and the whole Peanuts gang!
This vocal group is phenomonal!
Don't judge, just listen. They are a secular group, but I've never heard this song done in five part harmony before! They're extremely talented!
This version of "Deck the Halls by
Mannheim Steamroller has always been an all time favorite at the holidays!
At this time of the year we know that "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" and we should emulate Him, the best way we know how. Merry Christmas!
My husband has been working in cold and damp conditions oustide. He's now got a monster of a cold! I've been keeping my distance, as I haven't gotten the flu in several years, and don't want what he's got. I'm glad I got the pneumonia vacine when I did! I got a little cold around Christmas 2 years ago, and it only lasted for a week and 1/2. The time before that, I had bronchitis for a year and a half. That one started on Christmas day, so I spent two Christmas's in a row, sick! So, if your sick and singin' the blues, don't feel bad. Everybody is a bit cranky when they don't feel well. I live that nightmare every day with the pain from the spinal stenosis, so I can commiserate. So, if you're a bit run down, have some hot chocolate by the fire place with your family and enjoy the coming weekend! Knowing a lot of people have the bug, I thought I'd share a funny song with you this post. I hope you get a chuckle out of it and that you all feel better, real soon!
While my husband was in the US Air Force he served under Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. Bush was just one of the guys. He loved our Nation's military and really wrestled with sending our brave young men into Iraq to stop Sadaam Hussein, who had invaded Kuwait. My husband served in both Desert Shield and later Desert Storm with the United States Air Force, 33 yr retired. He was a flight engineer on the C-141 and the C-5. No matter which side of the aisle you are on, Bush 41 was definitely one of the good guys. He and his wife, Barbara, are now at rest in heaven with their daughter Robin, who died from Leukemia at age 3. I truly hope in reviewing how he lived his life, with humility and respect for others, we all realize how precious life is and decide to move the country forward instead of continuing to fight with each other. Bush 41 didn't skip a beat or miss a minute of life. I can't imagine the pain of actually losing your daughter to cancer & I nearly lost my own daughter, but in the early 1990's, the chemotherapy she was on, made all the difference. She survived Stage IV cancer after her relapse & she had a very rare form of childhood cancer. In 1944, Bush was shot down over the pacific, losing his 2 other crew members. He was found floating in a raft, and was picked up and rescued by a US Sub. He survived that day and I'm grateful to God that he did. This week, I learned a lot about him that I hadn't heard before. It made me love him more as well of making me proud as an American. He never blew his own horn, but then, that was one of the characteristics of the "Greatest Generation," and he was one of the best of that generation. You will be missed Mr. President, but you will never be forgotten. Fair Winds and Following Seas, President George Herbert Walker Bush. God speed.
At the beginning of the service today, I noticed a 6' grand piano sitting near the orchestra. I knew immediately who it was there for. After 9/11, Bush 43 asked Michael W. Smith to write a song to commemorate what had happened on that day. Michael became friends with their family & became just one of their "Brothers (and Sisters), from another Mother."
At today's Memorial for President George H.W. Bush, he played his huge hit "Friends." I couldn't help but notice that he had been weeping himself. Let's face it. Dubya was a hard act to follow today. He got emotional right at the very end. He has lost both his Mother and his Father within 7 months. That's got to be very difficult and I will keep their family, friends and extended relatives in my thoughts and prayers.
Here's Michael with the choir & orchestra at todays memorial service at the National Cathedral in DC, celebrating the life of our 41st President, George H.B. Bush.
Recently, I wasn't behaving in a way that was a good witness to anyone in my home, to my friends, or for God. As I was praying about it, I suddenly realized that when we're separated from God through our own sins, we can become the devil's FAVORITE reality show! When we're out of control, the devil likes to walk in and lead us down a primrose path where we really hurt people. People we'll never be able to witness to again with any credibility whatsoever. Not only that, we ruin it for anyone else in the future who tries to witness to the person(s) you've offended. When we have unconfessed sin, it separates us from God. When we're in that state, the devil can sift us like wheat and believe me, he's laughing all the way to the stage of our terminal "Melt Down!" We have to learn who our enemy is, how he operates and then have a plan of attack to overcome him. I remember going into service one Sunday, greeting other church goers. One woman I knew from bible study class, didn't say hello back to me. I thought, "Well, I never! Why was she so dismissive to me?" I sat through the entire service thinking about that and how I would NEVER do that to someone else. The devil was having his day in the sun that day! It should've dawned on me, "That's not like her. I hope everything is ok. I am going to pray for her this week." That's the thought I should've had but alas, was still just a babe in the woods, so I didn't even think about it! I just began judging her! Some of us blame God for our circumstances and how unhappy it has made us without ever thinking, "How did I get here?" Some of us blame our families, boss, you name it, but we never look in the mirror to discover who the real culprit "might" really be. God gives us a choice in every situation. We get to pick and choose how we behave, how we talk, who we trust, etc. The devil? This is his world. We live on his turf! He gets the first crack at us and sometimes, he wins! I was thinking about this and suddenly had a vision. I could see him, the "prince of darkness," in his fine linen suit, dark features, prince like, but dark, with a shiny black crown of onyx on his head. His legs were thrown sideways over the arm of his big shiny black Lazy Boy, there in hell. He was leaning back in uproarious laughter as he ate his popcorn and began flipping channels through billions of people's lives. He was laughing at me, at us, at every Christian that he's ever had in his cross hairs and was able to cause us to slip and sin against God. He goes at us until he can discombobulate us into an outburst, a curse word, taking God's name in vain, being angry, etc. Thus the scriptures say of him, "The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy." (John 10:10). When we don't follow Christ's commands and live for the Lord like we're suppossed to, we give a foothold to the devil and his demons. They come in steathily, with subtle thoughts to make us doubt ourselves, doubt God, doubt everything. We're to take "all thoughts captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5). When we don't do so, we have failed to use the fail safe promised by God in His word. The New Testament says He will always provide "a way of escape" (1 Corinthians 10:13), from any and all temptations. I love using that way of "escape," and telling the devil to go away in "Jesus" name! He thinks he's slick, but Jesus provides me a way out by showing me that those thoughts don't match Philippians 4:8, and I immediately dump them in the trash!
My mess is just one of billions of the devil's favorite reality shows. Now, I'm not picking on anyone, because the bible says "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23). While we're still on earth, we can pray for forgiveness of all sin, even stuff we can't remember and Jesus will forgive us. (1 John 1:9) He loves us and wants to have a closer relationship with us. He wants us to fight the devil so that He can tell him, "Satan? Bite the Dust!"
